Freight-car door



(No Mom.) 2 sheets-sheet' 1. J. J. MULLIGAN. FREIGHT GAR DOOR. No.513,336. Patentad Jan. 23, A1394.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. J. MULLIGAN. FREIGHT GAB, DOOR.

Patentedl Jan. ,23, 18194:.

TME NATloNAI. Lxmoavumnma coMPANv.

UNIT STATES ATENT Price.

JOHN JAMES MULLIGAN, OF VICKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI.

FREIGHT-OAR DOOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 513,336, dated January23, 1894..

Application le September 23, 1893 Serial No. 486.300. (No model.)

To all whom it may con/cern:

Beit known that 1, JOHN JAMES MULLIGAN,

of Vicksburg, in the county of Warren and State of Mississippi, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Freight-Car Doors, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in sliding doors for freightcars, and it has for its object to provide a metallic door which whenclosed will closely hug an extension of the door opening, thuscompletely closing the opening, and whereby the door after being openedto a slight extent will hang perpendicularly free from the extension ofthe door casing, and will have wheeled and guided action upon the outersurface of the car in such manner as to enable an operator toexpeditiously and conveniently expose the entire door opening of thecar.

A further object of the invention is to pro- Vide devices whereby thedoor when closedV will be automatically carried to a binding engagementwith the extension of the door frame.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out inthe claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forminga part ofthis specification,

in which similar igures and letters of reference indicate correspondingparts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved door, and the track uponwhich it is supported. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the door,taken near the bottom thereof. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through aportion of the car and door, illustrating the latter as swung out fromthe door frame and in position to be slid in direction of the ends ofthe car. Fig. 4 is a section similar to Fig. 3, illustrating the door inits fully closed position; and Fig. 5 is a partial front elevation of aportion of the door opening of the car and supporting track or rail,with the extension of the door framing.

The framing of the door opening A, is providedv with an extension railat its sides, its top and its bottom, the said extension rails beingdesignated respectively the upper rail as 10, the side extension railsas 11, and the bottom extension or rail as 12; and the outer face ofeach extension rail or section of the door framing may be provided witha wear plate, but in the drawings such a plate is illustrated as beingapplied to the top extension of the door framing and to the bottom, thetop wear plate being designated as 13 and the lower one as 14. The lowerwear plate 14, is made to extend down below the lower extension ofthedoor framing, forming thereby a guide section 14a, as shown in Figs.3 and 4.

`Abovethe upper stretch of the extension of the door framing, an angularor L-shaped bracket 15, is rigidly secured to the outer surface B of thecar. `The horizontal member of the bracket extends over beyond the upperstretch of the extension of the door framing, and is provided with arail or track 16, which may constitute an integral portion of thebracket or may be secured thereto.

The eave, or roof of the car body, designated as 17, extendssufliciently beyonds its sides to cover the entire bracket 15.

The car door C, is constructed entirely of metal, and consists of aplate, or a series of connected plates of metal of suflicient size toentirely cover the door opening A, and extends over the extensions ofthedoorframing, the body of the door being provided with a marginalflange C', as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, which {iange is located at aright angle to the inner face of the door body; and when the door isclosed, the flange thereof is adapted to t over and engage with theouter side faces of the extension of the door framing, as shown in Fig.4, or practically so; but the length of the door is such that its lowerdange will be below the plane of the lower edge of the guide section 14aof the lower wear plate 14 when the door is closed, or when itis open;and at the lower left-hand corner of the flange portion of the door anangular guide bracket 18, is securely fastened, which extends inwardbeyond the inner face of the lower flange; and the vertical member ofthe guide bracket 18, is adapted to travel at the rear of the guideextension 143J of the lower wear plate 14, and thus limit the outwardIOO 16 over the door opening.

movement of the door; while at the lower right-hand corner of the door`an angular closing bracket 19, is located, which bracket extendsdiagonally across the lower flange, as shown in Figr2, and in theoperation of the door, when it has been almost closed, the wider portionof the closing bracket will engage with the guide extension' of thebottom wear plate 14, and will act to draw the door inward and cause itto close around the extension ofthe door framing, as shown in Fig. 4.

The door is supported through the medium of two hangers 2O and 2l, eachof which hangers carries a peripherally grooved wheel,des ignatedrespectively as 20a and 2l, the said wheels being made to travel uponthe track The right-hand hanger 21, is rigidly secured to the upper por-Vtion of the body of the door C, and is curved outwardly and upwardlyfrom the door sufficiently to clear the outer edge of the rail bracket15 when the door is closed, as shown in Fig. 4, the wheel 21, beingjournaled in the upper portion of the bracket in any suitable orapproved manner. The left-hand hanger 20, has a hinged connection withthe door, the said hanger at its lower end being pivotally connectedwith a keeper 22, secured upon the outer face of the door at or near thecentral portion of its left-hand side. The hanger 20, extends upward outbeyond the rail bracket, and is slightly inwardly bent above its keeper,as shown in Fig. 3,its wheel 20 being journaled in its upper end.

It will be seen (Figs. 3 and 4) that the keeper, 22, sets off thehanger, 20, from the door, and the space thus obtained between thelatter two enables the door to be moved outward at that side edge whichis adjacent to the hanger, 20,and thus separated at such edge from thedoorframing, as required when it is desired to slide they door to openit. In other words, to open the door, the left-hand edge (see Fig. 1) ispulled directly outward, and thus disengaged from the framing, as shownin Fig. 3, this movement being permitted by the jointed hanger, 20, itbeing understood that the wheel of hanger, 2l, lits loosely enough onthe track to allow it slight torsion on the same without any danger ofderailment. When the door` has been thus drawn forward and disengaged atone edge,

it may be slid laterally, since the parts 14a and 19 then disengage.

The hanger 20, by reason of its hinged connection with the door, acts tothrow the door outward from engagement with the door framing the momentthe closing bracket 19 is released from the guide extension 14a of thelower wear plate, which entension may be termed a guide rail.

The track 16, is so located upon the rail bracket that it will be overthe center of the upper lange of the door when the door is swung bodilyoutward from the dooropening.

Patent- 1. In a door for freight cars, the combination, with an outwardextension of the door framing of the car, of a door provided with aninwardly-extending marginal ilange adapted to substantially surround theextension of the door framing, a rail secured upon the car above thedoor opening, hangers carrying wheels adapted to travel upon the rail,one hanger being fixed to the door and the other having hingedengagement therewith, and guide and closing brackets located upon thebottom of the door, adapted for engagement with a guide device locatedupon the body of the car, as and for the purpose specified.

2. In doors for freight cars, the combination, with an outward extensionof the door framing, and a track located above the upper extension ofthe door framing, which track is vertically removed beyond the plane ofthe outer face of the said door framing, of a anged door the flange ofwhich is adapted to substantially surround the extension of the doorframing, a hanger having a hingedconnection with the door, a secondhanger having a fixed connection with the door, the latter hanger beingupwardly and outwardly curved, wheels carried by the hangers, adapted totravel upon the track, and guide devices located at the bottom of thedoor, acting in conjunction with the 'hangers to carry the doorsubstantially to an engagement with the extension of its framing, or outof engagement therewith, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a door for freight cars, the combination, with an outwardextension of the door framing, a track supported above the upper stretchof the framing beyond the outer face thereof, and a guide rail projectedbelow the lower stretch of the door framing, of a door, provided with amarginal ange, capable of receiving the extension of the door framing,the lower portion of the flanged door being provided with a guidebracket for engagement with the guide rail, and a diagonal closingbracket likewise adapted for engagement with the guide rail, thebrackets being located at opposite sides of the door, a hanger ixed tothe upper portion of the door, outwardly and upwardly curved in itsupper portion, a second hanger having hinged connection with the door,and wheels carried by the hangers, engaging with the track, the hangersbeing l cated near opposite sides of the door, substantially as shownand described.

JOHN JAMES MULLIGAN.

Witnesses:

CHESTER R. MCFARLAND, F. E. ONIEL.

l'IO

